We recently connected with Tarik Daniels and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tarik, thanks for joining us today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

I started WhatsintheMIrror in 2016 as a response to a need in my community and in my family. My brother was dealing with mental health issues and I also felt like my community did not have resources or access to cultural responsive mental health options. I wanted to do my part to change that.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As an artist, I have always used art as a part of my healing journey. As a person living with HIV and mental health conditions, I have used my work as a writer and performer as an outlet for me. I work in public health as a program manager for peer support services and really value unconventional ways we can provide support to one another through lived experience. When I started writing and producing plays, my themes always including mental health awareness and that become the vehicle for WhatsintheMirror to become a an art organization providing mental health and suicide awareness to communities of color. Outside of art events such as the Art Heals Festival and Southern Arts Collective, a peer support group for those committed to ending HIV and mental health stigma, we also provide financial support through our Connect to Care program. With Connect to Care we help community members find mental wellness providers that has cultural understanding of race, sexual orientation, and gender expression and identity. We also will provide financial assistance to people who may need support to afford these providers. Access and affordability are things we are trying to tackle in the work we are doing in the community.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

WhatsintheMirror is for and a part of the community we serve and to sustain any community organization you must be consistent. COVID-19 impacted all of our lives and most organizations had to pivot in the ways we show up for the community. We made it our mission to find ways to hold space for our community virtually and increase ways to provide support for the community during very unusual times. I believe that the people saw our efforts before, during, and after COVID-19 during its peak and that established trust amongst our community. Trust allowed people to show up and support the work we are doing and that helped us maintain a good reputation in our city. When you show up for people consistently, they will show up for you and your work time and time again and that’s when the real work begins gradually.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

In creating our peer support group for people living with mental health conditions and/or HIV, we had all these ideas that we thought were great and thought was what the community wanted and needed. Starting with the original name, Art Heals Peer Support Group. We thought having “peer support” in our name would make people feel comfortable and realize that it was a space for them to get support around these lived experiences. After working with this peer group for a year, we had an end of year recap to gain feedback on the highs and lows of the program. The main feedback was the actual name of the support group. They felt like putting “peer support group” made the program feel too clinical and could deter people from joining because of the seriousness of the name. We took the feedback from the group and brainstormed with them on a better name that fitted the peer group and the work we were doing. We landed on the Southern Arts Collective as the new name and the members of the group were very appreciative that we listened. We learned that you can have an idea on what you think is good for the community but you must have the community at the table to let them decide what’s good for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.whatsinthemirror.org
• Instagram: whatinthemirror
• Facebook: whatsinthemirror.org
• Youtube: whatsinthemirror

Image Credits
Tia Boyd